In the eye of the storm

An Interview with OWWA Welfare Officer Josephine Sanchez-Tobia

By Butch N. Talorete

Josephine Sanchez-Tobia, or Jojo, as she is fondly called, is not new to the rumble tumble of the stormy Philippine overseas labor market. Having been assigned in Singapore at the height of the Flor Contemplacion ruckus that brought down then Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo, Welfare Officer Tobia knows what it is like to be in the eye of the storm. After all, she was the distressed maid’s counselor in death row.

Probably no other welfare officer in the 80 Philippine embassies worldwide has had her baptism of fire and experience. Filipinos in Japan are surely lucky to have her on their side.

As the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) representative at the Philippine Embassy, she is, more often than not, the first face that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) see in times of distress. Certainly, it is a kind, if not lovely face. But wait until she starts talking, and you’ll realize that there is more to that charming and disarming smile. She surely knows her turf and she’s here for the welfare of the OFWs.

Jojo could have remained in the glamorous world of theatre and broadcast television, but the call to service was just too overwhelming to resist. However, she had seamlessly combined the rumble tumble of her job with the razzle-dazzle of theatre by organizing Teatro Kanto, which is probably the best Filipino theatre ensemble in Japan today. Among its members are Mayang Nihei, Jena V, George Cabrera and many other superb talents.

This month, Philippines Today presents an interview with Jojo Sanchez-Tobia on what it is like to be a welfare officer and why she has decided to tread this formidable path. She also dishes out some helpful advice to all OFWs in Japan and worldwide.

Read on.

Can you please describe to us the job of a welfare officer? How is it like to be a welfare officer in Japan?

The task of a welfare officer is to attend to the needs of distressed overseas Filipino workers at any given time. We were trained for troubleshooting and for working under pressure. I have a 24-hr hotline for OFWs in need of assistance, which is my typical working time frame. The Japan post is relatively “easy” compared to Singapore which is considered a difficult post where I was assigned for almost 6 years. Employers here are more flexible, making it easier for me to settle employer-employee conflicts.

What is your typical day like at the Philippine Embassy?

Let me give you a regular working day for a welof (Welfare Officer) in the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. We get about 50 calls a day for counseling and 10-20 walk-in clients with various requests ranging from reports on malpractices with the club system to locating whereabouts of relatives or marital problems. This is a typical “hima” working day. There are times when we get 6-12 runaway Filipino entertainers a day.

What are the most common problems of Filipino workers here and how are they being addressed?

Our clients are mostly the overseas performing artists or opas followed by the domestic workers and Filipino nationals with expired visas working in genba (construction sites) and other kaisha (company/office). Most of the opas who report to our office complain of contract violations, nonpayment of salaries, maltreatment, personal problems, etc.

We, at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office headed by the Labor Attaché (Atty. Reynaldo Regalado) immediately call for a meeting with the principal (Japanese promoter) club owner and the opas once we receive their complaints. We encourage callers to send their written complaints/reports to avoid misrepresentation. We experienced workers denying their complaints/reports based on phone calls when a meeting is held at our office. Nonetheless, our office exercises discretion on any reports/complaints about the bad or unfavorable system at a jobsite.

What is your opinion on the tremendous influx of Filipino entertainers in Japan? What problems or issues are they often faced with and how are they being addressed?

It is a fact that unemployment back home is a serious problem. It is a perception that working in Japan means big money. Moreover, this is a particular industry where educational attainment is nonessential.

We hear tales about a provincial lass, a high school drop-out with a good singing voice, someone with good looks and who can dance; they are all encouraged to work as a guest relations officer in clubs or lounges. This becomes a stepping stone in securing an entertainment visa in Japan and a means to earn dollars fast!

Nowadays, having no singing and dancing abilities does not deter deployment to Japan. A recruiter would entice a Filipina informing her that her job is to just sit and pour drinks to customers and get paid in yen, yen that will allow her to buy the latest appliances and accessories while working as opa.

Unaware, these young girls are vulnerable to all sorts of harassments and abuses until they experience it. Based on my daily encounters with them, they all have the same heartbreaking stories about their lives. Working as an entertainer in Japan most probably will aggravate their disempowerment.

Despite all of these problems, what pushed you to be a welfare officer in the first place? What made you follow this career path and how did you become a welfare officer? Is it worth it?

I was in Italy in 1987 for a training in TV Management and holding teambuilding workshops for the OFWs when the former OWWA Administrator saw me. He encouraged me to join the government service, which I did after 6 years. Media work no longer challenged me so I shifted to social work, which is actually what I like doing. I used to do grassroots organizing for a politician during the Marcos era.

My current job is valuable as I can see an accomplishment at the end of the day. I get fulfilled knowing that our office has provided attention to a concerned kababayan. This really makes my day!

Can you please tell us your most memorable experiences on the job? I heard that you were assigned in Singapore at the height of the Flor Contemplacion case. What was it like to be there when all this was happening?

There are so many things which I have learned from dealing with the OFWs. I have learned to appreciate life in a simple way, to have an optimistic and positive attitude in life and to live by the day and plan for the future. I always tell my friends who encounter problems to talk to the OFWs so that they will realize that their worries may be too petty compared to those of the entertainers. We overseas officers have our own respective milestones in our jobs. My most memorable experience as a welof was in Singapore, specifically during the Contemplacion saga.

Barely two weeks had passed since I arrived in the city-state when the Consul General sent me to Changi prison. I was to interpret for the psychiatrist of Flor Contemplacion (FC). I recalled telling my husband in a letter (email was not available then) that it was like a scene straight from the film Silence of the Lambs, the scene inside the jail, I mean. Flor was so pale staring at me with her hands tied behind her while I did the translation for the British doctor for her psychoanalysis session.

The FC episode illustrated the danger of our system being exposed to political considerations especially the elections. Political leaders suffer from lack of objectivity due to public clamor being construed as bane truth! Everyone included in the case experienced being ostracized by people who did not really know the real story about FC. That was when I realized who our friends are! However, the FC episode has taught me to be strong and enhanced my skills for the betterment of my job. It was a wake-up call for civil servants like us to be more vigilant and sensitive to the needs of our clients.

The FC case in 1995 paved the way for the signing of the Magna Carta for Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos.

Based on your experiences, what advice would you like to give to Filipino workers here?

OFWs should learn how to save and invest for their future. With these (savings), someday they will no longer need to work overseas and not be separated with their loved ones anymore. I also wish that our overseas kababayan will always contribute their share in nation building so that our country will become a better place to live in for the next generation, for families that will no longer have to be separated due to overseas employment and economic necessity.

Back to top